BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Thursday asked all universities, public and private, to provide details of Manipur students enrolled in the institutions. The move came after an appeal by the strife-torn state’s Governor and chief secretary to help their students continue education or take admissions here without any hardships.
In a letter to all the universities on Thursday, the state government sought a report about the number and details of Manipuri students in their campuses, issues being faced by them in wake of the clashes in their homeland and remedial measures being taken by the universities in addressing their problems. It asked the universities to help the students of Manipur in the best way possible.
In a letter to the Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal on June 16, Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey said that due to clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities since May 3, curfew has been clamped in many parts of the state and internet services suspended.
“Many of our students pursuing their higher education in different colleges and universities in your state have been experiencing untold miseries to meet their day-to-day requirements coupled with expenditure pertaining to their study-related expenses,” she wrote.
Stating that the students’ education should not be adversely affected due to these unforeseen circumstances, Uikey requested Lal to ensure students from Manipur do not face any hardship in their academic pursuit in Odisha.
Similarly, chief secretary of Manipur Vineet Joshi in a letter to principal secretary of Higher Education department Aravind Agarwal on June 1 had also written that the Manipuri students weren’t able to submit their online application forms for admission to the higher educational institutes in Odisha due to internet ban in their state.
Since the internet ban was likely to continue for more days, Joshi requested Agarwal to issue advisories to authorities concerned of the institutions to allow students from Manipur to submit application forms in hard copies through postal or courier services.
He also requested for extension of the last date of submission of application forms in respect to students belonging to Manipur either online or offline, wherever possible. “Needless to say, such a gesture would go a long way in helping students get admissions to prestigious educational establishments in your state,” Joshi wrote.